Chapter 686: The Na'vi's Plea for Help
Inside the core council chamber of the Omaticaya clan at the Land of Chants, the atmosphere was unprecedentedly heavy and oppressive.
Chief Eytukan, Tsahik Mo'at, and the surviving main leaders and warrior representatives of various clans gathered here. Everyone's face was etched with despair, fear, and the blankness of having no way out.
"The Stone Fang clan... is gone..." a leader from a neighboring clan said hoarsely, unable to suppress his trembling. "It's like they were stepped on by a giant's foot. Nothing is left... What... what do we do?"
No one could answer him.
The previous bold words and resolve for vengeance seemed so pale and ridiculous in the face of the absolute power of an orbital strike.
Lying on a stretcher due to his severe injuries, Tsu'tey listened to the discussions outside. Looking at the magnificent canopy of Hometree above, he wavered in his radical stance for the first time.
If even Hometree could not provide sanctuary, what meaning was there in martial bravery?
After a long silence, Tsahik Mo'at spoke slowly. Her voice carried a trace of exhaustion but remained calm: "Eywa's network is wailing... The destruction of the 'Stone Fang' has caused immense pain to this land. These visitors from the stars possess power that transcends our understanding. Relying on ourselves alone, we can neither protect Eywa nor our people."
Her words equated to an admission of defeat for the Na'vi's solo resistance.
Chief Eytukan sighed heavily. He looked around the crowd, his gaze eventually landing on the pale-faced Sutai. "Sutai... your previous proposal..."
Everyone's eyes focused on Sutai.
Taking a deep breath, Sutai straightened her back, her gaze sweeping across the faces of every clan leader and warrior representative present. She knew perfectly well that every word she spoke now could determine the future fate of the entire clan alliance.
"Leaders," her voice was clear and resolute, echoing in the solemn chamber. "We must set aside our pride and face reality—relying solely on our own strength, we are no longer capable of dealing with the hunters from the stars. Seeking outside help is our only option."
She paused, letting this difficult conclusion settle in everyone's hearts before adding with absolute certainty: "But the target of our cooperation must absolutely not be the RDA."
Countless images of dealing with the RDA flashed through her mind: Parker Selfridge's calculations hidden beneath a commercial smile, Colonel Quaritch's undisguised contempt and violence, and the billowing dust and wails of her people when those roaring giant machines toppled Hometree.
"The RDA cannot be trusted," Sutai's voice carried a chilling edge. "They view us and this forest as obstacles to be cleared. Cooperating with them is like inviting a Viperwolf to guard the prey; we will only be devoured in the end. Furthermore, their own patrols and perimeter facilities are constantly being whittled down by the Predator attacks. They are likely struggling to protect themselves, let alone provide us with effective help."
"If not them, then who else?" a representative from a small clan couldn't help but ask, his voice tinged with the blankness that follows despair.
"There is another group of Sky People," Sutai's tone softened slightly, guiding everyone's train of thought. "The 'Seekers'." She listed the details she had observed. "They have demonstrated a restraint different from the RDA. They took the initiative to return our sacred tree, and the three young people they sent are sincerely learning our language and way of life, attempting to understand our connection with Eywa."
She looked around, her tone growing more forceful. "And the most crucial point is that they possess the strength to contend with the Predator hunters. Have you forgotten? Last time, that lone hunter spreading death in our jungle was ultimately killed by the warriors under the Seekers' command. Our people mostly served to distract and lure him."
She lowered her voice slightly, carrying a certain conviction. "I even suspect... what they have shown us is merely the tip of the iceberg. The true strength hidden by these Seekers may far exceed our imagination."
This time, no fierce voices of opposition immediately rang out in the council chamber.
The successive crushing defeats and that apocalyptic orbital strike had ground down their former stubbornness and sharp edges.
The cruel reality forced these proud hunters to begin weighing the pros and cons from an entirely new perspective.
Chief Eytukan and Tsahik Mo'at exchanged a heavy glance, then looked at Sutai, voicing the doubt in everyone's heart: "But, Sutai... why would they help us? And what price can we pay?"
"I do not know," Sutai answered honestly, without the slightest hesitation in her eyes. "I cannot guess what they want, nor can I promise what we can give. But this is the only visible path we have that might lead to survival. Sitting here waiting for death guarantees our end. But attempting contact and negotiation holds at least a sliver of hope.
From their current behavior, they are willing to communicate and seem to follow some kind of... rules that we do not yet understand."
After another round of intense—but no longer blindly furious—discussion, mixed with worries for the future and wariness of the unknown, the council finally reached a difficult but unified resolution: Sutai was authorized to attempt contact with the "Seekers" to formally explore the possibility of a joint alliance against their mutual threat.
This heavy responsibility concerning the survival of the clans once again fell onto Sutai's shoulders, as she had the most contact with and understanding of the Seekers.
To avoid the RDA's potential spies and the elusive surveillance of the Predators, she did not choose to travel directly to the conspicuous Trailblazer mobile base.
She sought out Rei Ayanami, who was studying alongside the Na'vi and responsible for maintaining contact with the base.
On a quiet aerial root platform of Hometree, Sutai spoke solemnly to Rei Ayanami: "Rei Ayanami... the Na'vi... need help. The hunters from the stars have brought destruction. We cannot fight them alone. We... wish to speak with your 'Seekers', with Dr. Ryo."
She looked into Rei's placid red eyes and said word by word: "Please convey the request of the Omaticaya and the clan alliance to him. We... wish to cooperate."
Rei listened quietly, her expression unchanging. She simply gave a slight nod. "Message received. I will relay it."
She turned and walked toward the temporary treehouse where the dedicated communication equipment linking them to the Trailblazer was kept. An encrypted message pierced through Pandora's dense jungle and flew toward the mobile base where Ryo resided.
After enduring the baptism of blood, defeat, and destruction, the Na'vi had finally laid down a portion of their pride and hatred, extending a hand seeking help toward the "Sky People" they had once guarded against and rejected.